Arankele Forest Monastery

Arankele was a monastery of the pamsukulika, the ascetic forest tradition that rejected ornament, and the remains are the same austere vocabulary as Ritigala: broad stone-paved meditation walks running straight through the forest, double platforms linked by stone bridges, a bathing pond and a hot-water bath, all plain. Monks still live in the forest here. Moss covers most of the stonework and the canopy keeps it dim and cool.

What you actually see

• The meditation paths - long straight stone-paved walks through the forest.
• The double platforms - paired stone structures of the ascetic tradition.
• The bathing pond - the stone-lined pool and hot-water bath.
• The living forest monastery - monks still resident in the woods around the ruins.

When to go

January to April is the driest. The forest is cool year round. Mornings are quietest and best for the light through the canopy.

Honest expectations

There is very little interpretation and the plainness is easy to misread as emptiness. Monks live here and quiet matters. Leeches appear after rain.

Nearby

Ridi Viharaya is south, and Kurunegala is southwest.